Me before you
by Rubi534
Summary: louisa becomes the assistant to will traynor who is temporary paralysed after an accident he had
1. chapter 1

Louisa had been jobless for almost a month so when she visited the job centre on the previous Friday and got a job interview she was very happy and nervous at the same time Happy because she was tired of staying at home and doing nothing and nervous because of the job description she had been given for a 6 months assistant to a temporary paralysed man she didn't know what would be required of her and that made her very nervous.

''so miss Clark have you ever been an assistant?'' Mrs Traynor asked sited across her

''no but am a very fast learner" she said hoping she would give her the job even without her lack of experience

''you can start as soon as possible your hours will be from 8 to 5pm will is temporarily in a wheel chair due to an accident he had so he does need assistance with a few things here and there'' she said as she started to get up

Louisa could not believe her ears she had actually gotten the job.

The next day she arrived exactly at 8am and she was introduced to will traynor who was not too pleased to meet her Mrs Traynor left for work soon after and she was left with will.

''would you like me to get you anything will?''

''I am very much capable of telling you when I need anything Miss Clark" he said irritated by her

''yes you are'' she said stunned by his rudeness

''I would like to be alone'' he said as he started wheeling his chair into his room leaving Louisa standing in the kitchen not knowing what to do.

A week passed and the annex felt cold and lonely without anyone to talk to except for will's therapist Nathan who came in three times a week to help him with his physical therapy he was always nice to Louisa.


	2. Chapter 2

''good morning'' I said as I walked into the annexe I had woken up with so much enthusiasm and it just felt like it was going to be a good day and everything else had just confirmed it from the blue skies and the cheerful people I met on my way to work I was determined to make it a good day and no one was going to ruin it not even will.

''what is so good about it?'' I heard a voice coming from the TV room I walked towards the room and found will on his laptop he didn't lift his head to look at me so I just continued

''well the skies are blue and the sun is out'' I said cheerfully

''are they now?'' he asked still looking at his laptop

''yes and you would know that if you went outside'' I replied hoping it didn't come off as rude

''why would I need to go outside, everything I need is already here'' he said as he clicked on something on his computer I wondered how he managing to do that I could never talk and concentrate on something at the same time it must be a talent or something

''you can go and just breathe in the fresh air or bask in the morning sun'' I replied lifted his head and looked at me and I immediately saw his eyes widen as he looked at my clothes he took a few seconds to think of what to say

''what are you wearing?'' he asked still puzzled

''just my yellow tights, blue skirt and green jumper'' I said trying not to laugh at the puzzled look he was giving me ''ooh! And my purple pumps''

''do they even make yellow tights?''

''of course they do, I love them'' I said confidently looking at him

…..

It was around 1 pm I had just finished preparing will's lunch. I was seated on one of the chairs in the kitchen waiting for will to come for his plate of food he did not like it when I brought it to him he had been made it clear that his hands were not paralysed and he was perfectly capable of carrying his own plate of food

Over the last two weeks we had fallen into a routine I would arrive in the morning at 8 am I would then make him a cup of tea while he used his laptop. at around 10, I would make him a protein shake while I prepared lunch then at one he would eat lunch and at around 2 he would watch a film in the TV room alone he never invited me to watch it with him so I just assumed he didn't want me there

He spent his days indoors never went outside his mother and father would drop by separately at different times to check up on him

I had heard his mother say he used to be a business man or something close to that yet I never saw him working, I had peeked on his computer several times while he wasn't looking and it didn't seem like he was working

He looked lonely on most days which I assumed he was because he never received any visitors and it seemed like his only friend was Nathan who came in thrice a week and sometimes would drop by just to have a beer with him

Sometimes when he got bored of his laptop he would look at the garden that was on the other side of his window

If only he would let me keep him company I though when I too was bored but he was beginning to warm up to me I could see it, he talked to me more than he did the first week and he sometimes made jokes about my clothes or food {I am not the best cook in the world}

I felt bad for him because no matter how bored I got I would always go back to my family and boyfriend in the evening but he just remained in the annexe alone till the next day

…

''goodnight will'' I said as I took my bag and headed for the door ''see you tomorrow"

He nodded in approval as I left


	3. Chapter 3

''would you like a cup of tea will?'' Louisa asks me as she is dusting the shelves in the kitchen

I wheel myself into the kitchen

She turns around immediately

''no but I would like to go outside'' I said finally

I don't know why I wanted to go outside but ever since Clark mentioned it I had not stopped thinking about it

So I finally decided to go outside

''really?'' she said as she suddenly jumped in place with excitement

''why the sudden change in heart'' she asked with a big smile that actually was from ear to ear which made her eyes shrink to the point where they could not be seen

I raised one eyebrow not really understanding why she was so excited about going outside I mean i had not gone outside in so long and I wasn't nearly excited as she was

''I don't know I just feel like going outside'' I answered with a small smile

''and you want me to come with you for some company?'' she asked with her eyebrows raised and pushed together waiting for my answer

''let us not carried away now, I just need someone to make sure my chair doesn't get stuck on the way or something'' I answered as I started wheeling myself towards the door assuming she was following me

To be honest I was getting a bit bored in the annexe and I was actually hoping Clark could come along and do some of that chatting that she loves so much but I couldn't tell her that ….If I told her that she would never stop talking even after coming back to the annexe

''so Clark tell me about yourself'' I said as we came to a stop and she sat on a big stone that was lower enough for her to be at the same eye level as me

''okaaay'' she said as she twisted her mouth and looked up at the sky she seemed like she was really thinking hard on what she was going to say next

''well what do you want to know exactly'' she said as she looked at me with her eyebrows pushed together and eyes narrowed down

''anything…like where you go after you are done here ….about your family …anything''

''okay well I live on the other side of the castle not very far from her, I live with my parents, grandfather, my sister treena and her son Thomas .'' she said and kept quiet as if she had told me everything about herself in that sentence i was hoping for a little bit more than just that

''continue'' I said to her after she stopped... surely when someone asks you about yourself you tell them more than just about your living arrangement

''and I like visiting my boyfriend Patrick'' she said after a while

'Visiting her boyfriend?' why is he being visited is he in a prison or something? She could at least said hanging out with him

I didn't know she had a boyfriend she has never mentioned him before…but I don't let her talk to me that much so maybe that's why I have not heard her mention him

''what?!'' she asked as I realised I had been staring at her ''do I have something on my face?''

''no…no it's not that… I was just thinking'' i say as I quickly move my eyes and look at the grass that is behind her

''about what?'' she asked which her eyebrows raised which is clearly her curious face

''nothing in particular'' I say trying to avoid the question which is obviously making me uncomfortable

''oh! Come on'' she said as she rolled her eyes and lifted her hands in exaggeration

''what?'' I ask her…. I didn't know why she rolled her eyes at me I mean what did she want me to tell her? My inner most thoughts?

''no…it's nothing'' she says trying to brush it off

''well it has to be something if you are rolling your eyes at me'' I tell her as I lift my brows and give her a look that says she better tell me what she meant by that

''it's just that….i mean I don't know anything about you and am supposed to be your assistant and the only chance I get to know a bit about you…you dismiss it as 'nothing in particular' but like I said it's nothing' she said as she started getting up and straightening her blue dress

''we should probably get back to the house its getting cold'' I say after she stands up

Am pretty sure my boredom is well gone by now, time to get back to the annexe and besides Clark is getting too chatty and I really don't feel like talking about my life story over a cup of tea…I could really use some silence and my laptop just about now.

….

''hey will I was meaning to ask…so your mother told me that I should not only assist you with the household staff but with also work staff….i really don't know what she meant by that….is there anything else I should be assisting you with?'' she said as she was coming towards me

I know exactly what my mother meant by that…since the accident I quit my job because I couldn't really be there and my mother had been on my neck about getting something else to do online which I wasn't exactly sure about since I loved my job and I doubt I would like any other job

''I don't know what she was talking about it is not like I have a job'' I say to her hoping she would drop the subject and go back to what she was doing

''why don't you have a job?'' she asks with her confused look

''because I loved my job before I had to give it up and I don't think I will find another job that I actually love….that's why Clark'' I tell her in a more irritated voice than I really am hoping she will get the hint and drop the subject

''then find something else you love and do it'' she says with a smile as if it is just as simple as clicking on a button

''I would but in case you haven't noticed this chair is quite limiting'' I say to her fully irritated now praying that she will go away

''am just saying that there are a lot of things you can do online that don't even require you to move… maybe you can even find something close to your job'' she says this as she starts walking back into the kitchen

Thank God she dropped! I was beginning to think she wouldn't but I have to agree she does have a point about the job thing…maybe I will look into it some other time.


	4. Chapter 4

Louisa was in the kitchen preparing lunch while will was in the TV room on his laptop, will had been on his laptop for quite some time and had not said much to Louisa but Louisa was pretty much used to it

Will didn't say much to her on most days but this was an improvement in the first days of her employment he barely said two words to her.

After about thirty minutes will got tired of his laptop, he wheeled himself into the kitchen where Louisa was seated on the dining table peeling some potatoes for lunch

'''bored already'' Louisa said as she saw him coming towards her

''yeah nothing interesting on the internet'' he said after stopping

He positioned his chair opposite Louisa such that they were looking at each other

He observed how she was peeling the potatoes like she was afraid of hurting herself she was doing it to slowly and delicately which was beginning to annoy him

''that is how you peel potatoes?'' he asked her

She raised her eyebrows and put the potato she was peeling down clearly surprised by his question

She was not expecting him to say that

''what do you mean?'' she asked a bit taken aback

''you doing it way to slow and delicately it is not an egg…at that rate you are going to take too long and waste a lot of time just on potatoes when you could have been finishing up'' he said with a small smirk on his lips

''well this is the only way I know how to do it….unless you want to show me another way or we could do away with the potatoes if it bothers you that much'' she said putting down the peeler and looking at him with one eyebrow raised in total disbelief

She could not believe that will was actually bothered by the way she peeled potatoes was there no end to this mans complaints

Will reached out across the table and took the peeler that Louisa was using and the unpeeled potatoes that were in a bowl and started peeling them himself

Louisa was in total shock she really didn't think will knew how to boil water let alone peel potatoes

''this is how you do it'' will said as he started demonstrating it to her ''it's not an egg so you don't have to be so delicate about it….see how fast and easy it is''

''that is actually fast'' she said '' I didn't know you knew how to do that''

''do what? Peel potatoes?'' will asked

''yes''

''ooh! Come on Clark who doesn't know how to do this it is so simple'' he said finishing with the one he was peeling

''no…it's just that…. you know with all these people working for you I just thought that….you know…''

''no I don't know… do tell'' he said fully looking at her waiting for her reply

''that you wouldn't have to do a thing''

''well they work for my mother not me….and besides I lived in London alone for some time I had to learn how to do all types of things…like peeling potatoes'' he said smiling genuinely at her

''wait you said you had to learn meaning you didn't know how to do it…how old were you when you moved to London?''

Will couldn't help but look sheepishly at the potato he was peeling he felt as if he had fallen into his own trap and there was no way out

''I don't know I cannot remember'' he lied

He didn't want to tell her the truth but he also knew Louisa wasn't going to let it go and in a way he wanted to continue talking to her

''you do!'' Louisa said laughing loudly, will was trying hard not to laugh with her

He decided to come clean

''okay I was about 19…yeah that was around the time I was going to college….and so I had to move to London''

''good God! Will so you want to tell me you didn't know how to peel potatoes for the first nineteen years of your life?'' she said in utter disbelief

Will contemplated his next response for a few seconds he didn't want to say anything that might incriminate him again

''well it's just like you said…you know with all this people working at the house and all…it's a bit hard to do the work yourself'' he said teasing her

''oh what a horrible burden poor you'' she said with a smile

Will had finished with the potatoes he gave them to Louisa

Louisa washed them then dipped them in the stew that was cooking she stirred the stew for a while, added a little bit of salt then continued stirring

''so can you cook?'' Louisa asked as she was stirring the stew

''actually I am a very good cook some would even say the best'' Louisa scoffed as his response which will quickly took notice of

''what was that for?'' he asked ''you don't believe me?''

''I don't'' she replied immediately without a single hesitation

''am not kidding I can cook really well….well not at the moment of course '' he said looking down at his legs ''I guess you will just have to take my word for it…. for now''

Lunch was done and Louisa and will sat down and had lunch together

They never had lunch together

Will would always have lunch in another room while Louisa ate alone in the kitchen

''so you want me to believe that someone who knew how to peel potatoes at 19 is a better cook than me?'' Louisa teased

'' I will never live this down will I?'' will said with his left hand on his face shaking his head

''nop'' Louisa said with a smile

''make fun of me all you want but the fact still remains I am better at cooking than you''

''how do you know that''

''Clark I have had your food…I am having your food''

''it's really not that bad….is it?'' she said with a concerned look on her face

''it is not that bad….it's edible so that's good….it just lacks flavour….and don't get me started on the presentation'' he said looking at her raised eyebrows wondering if he should continue criticizing the food or not He was enjoying it more than he should have been

''but you know some have it and some just don't'' he teased her

''you are a horrible man will traynor'' she said with a smile

''I do try'' he smiled back at her

Lunch went well and after they were done Louisa went to wash she dishes and will kept her company

''so Mr Traynor what other talents have you been hiding'' she asked while she was rinsing the plates

Will appeared to be thinking about the question for a few seconds then said

''mmh I don't think I have any other…maybe the rest are undiscovered…..but in relation to cooking I can make a scrumptious red velvet cake''

Louisa turned around with the plate she was drying in hand

''I would be impressed but I don't really like red velvet'' she said cringing her face

''what! Who doesn't like red velvet?''

''me'' she said

''have you had one?''

''yes and I didn't like it'' she said as she took another plate to dry

''but you haven't had mine'' he said hopefully

''I don't think it will make any difference'' she said almost apologetically

''it will….what do you like then if you don't like red velvet?'' he asked intrigued

''well I absolutely love chocolate cake" she said with a full smile on her face

''nonsense! Chocolate is not as nearly good as red velvet" he answered fully appalled at her answer

''it is to me'' she said defensively

''how can I prove to you it isn't?'' will asked

''I don't know'' she shrugged ''make some'' she replied seriously ''maybe yours will be different as you say''

''I can't'' he said looking at his legs

Which made Louisa all the more confused

''I don't get it'' Louisa said confused

''what's not to get?'' he asked ''I cannot… bake… it …because… my legs…cannot stand….hence the need for an assistant'' he said spoon feeding her the words like she was a baby

''why do you need your legs for in baking?''

''umh I don't know maybe walking?" he said exaggeratedly

''no… not my point….am saying its baking… you just need to set all the ingredients on the dining table and mix or do whatever you do when baking only thing you will probably need me for is maybe placing it in and out of the oven….'' she said

Will sat there looking at her never having thought of it that way… he was so used to standing when he was baking that had forgotten that you can actually sit down and do it although it would be a bit messy…. but it could be done.


	5. Chapter 5

Hey guys am sorry that this chapter is very very short i wrote it on the bus didn't have much time to write more and I don't like to keep you waiting. Super long chapter coming next. Please review and follow for more I really hope you guys like it. Thank you

''so what exactly do you need?'' asked Louisa as she grabbed a piece of paper and pen from the table

''baking soda, buttermilk, full fat cream cheese and flour'' will answered

''that is a lot don't you have this things in the kitchen? I could go check'' she said standing up to go check the kitchen cabinets

Will was going over the list making sure there was nothing he was forgetting

''all this things and no flour or cheese?'' Louisa asked still looking through the cabinets

After looking through all the cabinets Louisa returned to her chair

''come with me'' she said looking at will with her brows raised to her forehead

''no'' will said without hesitation

''why not?'' Louisa asked disappointed by will's answer ''it will be fun''

''no it will not'' he said

''how do you know that''

''look it's not that hard to go and pick up a few things at the grocery store and come back….i will still be here when you come back it's not like am going anywhere'' will said adding a couple of things on the list

Louisa took her yellow coat and her bag and as she was leaving she turned to will who was watching her

''are sure you don't want to come with me?''

''Yes Clark…. now hurry up and come back ''


	6. Chapter 6

The store was not crowded lucky for me, so I just got all the things that will needed and I was done.

I had parked the van not very far from the store so that I would not have to walk for long. As I was walking to the car I saw Patrick walking with Lydia his friend from the gym, they were both laughing so I guessed they were having a good time.

It had been almost a week since I saw Patrick I was always at work during the day so I could never see him and in the evening it always seemed like he would rather be cycling or running that with me so I just stopped asking him to go out with me.

But that did not stop him from calling me and telling me how much fun he had at the gym or with his friends cycling he never really seemed to care about my day don't get me wrong I did like talking to Patrick but sometimes he just seemed a bit self-absorbed, it was hard to believe that we had been together for 7 years sometimes I wondered if he ever got tired of me I mean I would get tired of me if I stayed with me for 7 years.

I was actually contemplating whether to talk to them or leave immediately since they had not seen me, they seemed like they were having a good time and I didn't want to ruin that but on the other hand I felt like I should have been jealous to see him with another woman having a good time.

''Patrick!'' I shouted without even thinking

He turned around and saw me then started walking towards me, Lydia stayed behind

''I thought you were at work'' he said as he kissed me on the cheek

''I am this is part of my job'' I said looking down at the bags I was holding

''will needed me to run a few errands for him''

''oh okay'' he said awkwardly

''hey you want to go out tonight?'' I don't know why I asked because I really did want to go out but it just seemed like we needed to spend some time alone after not seeing each other for a while

''yeah you can come to the bar me and the boys will be there'' he said smiling, of course he is not going to be alone I shouldn't have bothered

''okay'' I said smiling back at him ''see you tonight''

We said our goodbyes and he joined Lydia who had been waiting for him as I put the bags in the car.

During the drive back to the annexe I could help but think about how awkward my interaction with Patrick was but maybe that's how things are supposed to be you know someone for so long that you eventually turn into old friends. No, that couldn't be it and why didn't Lydia join us? We were not that close actually I don't even think we were friends but I had seen her a number of times in the gym when I went to visit Patrick so I expected her to at least say hello.

But I was just overthinking it I am sure maybe she just thought me and Patrick needed some time alone to talk

As I opened the door to the annexe will was seated by the kitchen he wheeled himself towards me when he saw me approaching and helped me with the bags I was carrying

Once we had laid every ingredient on the table he looked at me with his eyebrow raised as if to ask where to start.

''go sit down or make yourself a cup of tea'' he said pointing to the chair near the counter

''are you sure you don't need any help?''

''I will tell you if I need any''

''okay'' I said relieved I wasn't planning on doing any baking.

I made myself a cup of tea and sat down near the kitchen counter where I had a perfect view of what will was doing.

I still couldn't get Patrick out of my head I felt like there was something I was missing.

I had not noticed that I had been suspiciously quiet through all this, it wasn't at all like me to be so quiet.

''Clark, what is it?'' he asked, my head snapped up from what I was thinking of

''pardon?'' I asked surprised that he was almost done

''you are never quiet unless something is bothering you'' he stated

''I thought you liked it when I wasn't chatty''

''yes I do, but I also know that there has to be something weighing on you for you to be this quiet''

I was a little shocked by how much he had been paying attention and his sudden curiosity

I didn't feel comfortable telling him about my encounter with Patrick at the store and am sure he would have also dismissed it as nothing in particular just me over reacting to something stupid

So I settled for

''oh it's just that dad hasn't been feeling well very lately am just worried about him'' I said, I know I was lying but I couldn't tell him the truth and telling him my dad was sick was probably the safest option

''am sorry to hear that'' he said looking genuinely concerned

''am sure he will be fine no need to worry'' I said feeling bad for lying to him and making him concerned for nothing

''could you please pop this up in the oven for me'' he asked and I realised he had just finished with the first part of baking and I had been so distracted I had not even watched him do it

''so when are you going to ice it''

''soon just let it cool down so that the icing wont melt off''

''okay'' I said looking down at the bowl full of some icing mixture that looked white and smelt good

''can I have a taste?'' I asked him it really looked delicious

''no, what do you mean, no wait until it is done'' he answered laughing at my question

''come on will just a taste'' I said practically pleading for him to let me have a taste

''okay okay bring that spoon'' he said pointing at the spoon on the opposite side of the table

He took the spoon dipped it into the bowl and gave it to me to taste I wasn't even sure what I was tasting since he there was so little frosting on the spoon

He looked at me with his eyebrow raised as if waiting for me to tell him that he had done a good job

''well…'' he asked

''mmh…. It is okay I guess'' I said teasing him

''okay?'' he asked surprised by my answer

''yeah okay….i really didn't have much to work with'' I said trying my best to hide the smile that was beginning to form on my lips

''what did you want? A spoonful?''

''yes that would have definitely helped you get a better score but instead you gave me a quarter of a quarter spoon of frosting so you get an okay''

''that's not fair, you know that frosting is good, it is one of a kind''

''maybe…. guess we will never know now''

Thank you for being so patient guys. Please review and follow for more.


	7. Chapter 7

SORRY GUYS FOR THE LONG WAIT; I HAD A LOT GOING ON. I HOPE YOU LIKE THIS CHAPTER, PLEASE REVIEW I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT YOU THINK AND DON'T FORGET TO FOLLOW. THANKYOU SO MUCH.

'would you like to go for a picnic just outside the house?' Louisa asked while dusting the top shelf of the book case.

' I mean it's a really nice day, it would be a shame to waste it' she added smiling too brightly.

The truth is, she noticed will had been in a bit of a 'mood' since she came in, she wanted to cheer him up, and what better way to do so than with a picnic on a sunny day she thought, After all anyone would be in a bad mood if they had to spend a whole day hidden in the house.

Will appeared to be in deep thought before he gave his answer

'I suppose we could go outside for a while' he said closing his laptop and placing it on his desk 'let me first put my papers in order, I'll meet you outside.'

Lou was beyond happy, truthfully she hadn't expected him to agree so quickly but she was not about to mention it just in case it changed his mind

'okay then' she said smiling more brightly than ever

…

'I suppose you didn't just bring me out here to have lunch and a cup of tea' will said lifting his cup to take a sip of his tea.

'well I guess not, I just thought the outdoors would be a bit of a change'

'has It occurred to you that maybe I like the indoors clark?' he asked raising his eyebrow

'I don't believe that'

'and why not?' he said a bit taken aback by her response

'you don't seem like the type of person who is particularly fond of the indoors' she said a matter of factly

Will thought about this for a while , 'well I wasn't before, but I have to say after spending all those months inside I have grown to like it, you know when something is pushed down your throat you can either swallow it or spit it out, I chose to swallow it'

'well that is one way to look at it' lou said putting down her cup

'how many months were you in the hospital?' she asked

'well let's see, there were the three months I spent in the hospital and the four I spent at the rehabilitation, so seven months give or take' he said

'do you miss London?' Louisa asked eyeing him

'of course I do, it's so different from this little town right here, I would give anything to go back there'

'you could go back if you wanted to' said lou

'are you trying to get rid of me clark?' will joked 'you know without me there is no job for you, so you better pray I never move from this chair let alone this town' he said teasingly

Louisa smiled at him happy that he was teasing her again

'what do you mean no job? I'd just follow you, knowing you there has to something else you'll need…. a cook maybe? Or a personal shoe lace tier'

'with the way you cook' he made a gagging sound 'no thank you, and what is a shoelace tier is that even a thing?' he asked playfully

'course it is' she said rather confidently

'care to elaborate, clark'

'you know, for those people who are extremely wealthy and don't feel like tying their shoelace, so they hire other people to do it for them…a shoelace tier, I thought it was self-explanatory' lou said moving her head to the side as if she'd expected him to know this already

'I can assure you that is not a thing' will said

'so you say' she said not convinced 'and besides you just don't want to answer my question'

'what question' he asked surprised

'you can go to London right now if you wanted to, why haven't you?'

'I don't know clark…it's complicated' he said looking away

Lou didn't think will was being truthful, she sensed that maybe it wasn't as complicated as will let on, but there had to be a good reason for him not be honest so she didn't press the matter.

They stayed outside for a while until It was lou's time to go home.

THANKS FOR READING PLEASE FOLLOW AND REVIEW.


	8. Chapter 8

..Will and Louisa had settled into a routine over the last couple of weeks; Louisa would arrive at the traynor mansion shortly after 8 am to find Will already at the table going through things on his laptop, after some cheerful greetings from her which were usually met with disdainful or bored looks (on a good day), she went straight to work; cleaning the kitchen area first then progressing to the one bedroom and afterwards the bathroom.

This usually took about 3 hours after which she was ready to start on lunch, then after lunch she would take to dusting the shelves which were next to the sofas at the corner of the annex, dusting usually didn't take long as they were attended to everyday, afterwards she would try and keep herself busy with things like mopping up the floor and other little things while anticipating will's needs.

will didn't have a lot of needs as he could do most things for himself which left Louisa with a lot of time to fill.

will was used to Louisa busying herself with little things around the house but lately she'd been starting to bug him all the time with questions every 30 minutes which annoyed him very much.

So when Louisa asked him if he was okay for the twentieth time since she arrived, it took everything in him to not be stern with her.

'clark I can assure you I am okay and if I need anything I will inform, so please stop asking me that question every five minutes will you?' he said massaging his temple with his fingers

'oh..um..sorry..sorry' she said feeling a bit stupid for not noticing she was causing him great discomfort

Will was overcome with guilt after seeing the look on her face, he regretted having said anything at all, he never meant any harm by it. but he choose not to say this or try to explain himself he didn't want Louisa thinking that he was growing to like her or anything of the sort for that wasn't the case, he thought

'clark why don't you sit down for a while?' he said after a while

She pulled the chair opposite will eyeing him

'I noticed you never relax, you are always doing something…..you know it's okay to sit down once in a while and besides am pretty sure the shelves don't need dusting twice a day' he said trying not to sound harsh, he didn't need more guilt

'well…okay' she said

'have you tried reading? there are so many books in this room not to mention the main house, you could consider reading them' will offered

'I guess that beats dusting the shelves…uhm…yeah I would very much like that' answered Louisa with a bright smile

Will wheeled himself from the table to the bookshelf at the corner of the room and reached for a book that was within his reach, then he came back to the table and handed it to Louisa

'I like this book very much and from the looks of it, you might like it too'

'okay then, I will try my best to finish it, but a bit of warning, I tend to have a short attention span so if I get bored before am done you'll have to tell me how the book ends' she teased

This seemed to have the desired effect because the next second will was laughing

'when the sun shines' Louisa read the title of the book out loud

'the title doesn't give anything away, does it?' she said bringing her eyebrows so close together they almost touched

'well, that title says a lot about the book….which you would understand if you actually read'

'okay..okay then I will'

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it was well past lunch time when Louisa finally spoke or even looked up for that matter

all her attention had been on the book since she opened the first page, she hadn't been able to put it down.

Will kept throwing glances at her while she was reading, very pleased with himself

It took her name called three times for her to divert attention to will

'what?…sorry..sorry, what were you saying?' she said looking up from the book

'could you go the main kitchen in the house and see if there is something we can eat for lunch?' he said

it hit Louisa that while she was busy reading the book, she had forgotten to prepare lunch…

'oh no!' she said looking devastated 'I forgot didn't i?'…'what was I thinking?' she went on 'am sorry…I can't believe I forgot' she said placing a hand on her face

'clark it's okay... am not even that hungry' he said in a calm voice as if he was speaking to a toddler who would break into tears any minute

'mrs traynor… isn't going to be too happy about this'

'don't worry about that….it's not like she will find out..and besides it's not a big deal clark..'

She stood up and placed the book on the table then made her way to the door which led to the main house

A few minutes later she emerged into the annex carrying a tray and in it seemed to be a small feast

'did they give you the entire kitchen?' asked will looking surprised

'they seemed to eager to be giving it away actually, they almost gave me more but I declined'

'I suppose they thought my parents would be home for lunch' he said

'I'll get the plates' he said wheeling himself to the cupboard and pulling out two plates and spoons

placing them and the table…..

TO BE CONTINUED…


	9. Chapter 9

'how is your boyfriend...Patrick was it?' will asked me while I was washing the dishes we just used for lunch…

'he's okay…he has been really busy with training for a marathon so I haven't seen him lately but am really hoping to see him this coming weekend' I said wrapping up with the dishes…

I turned around to find will staring at me as if he was trying to understand something, I chose to ignore it because I knew it was Patrick and I really didn't feel like continuing with the conversation…

I had been having some doubts about Patrick, we had not seen each other in almost a month I was really hoping seeing him the coming weekend would clear it all up…

'can you recommend any good places to get a good drink around here?' will asked noticing I didn't want to talk about it…..

'are you serious?! Do you really want to go beyond this house' I asked surprised

'of course why else would I ask?' he said with a small smile

'well there is this place in town that's really nice…really nice people too, everyone there is just nice...of course Patrick doesn't like it because none of his marathon mates go there but I really like, it's actually been a while since I went there' I said trying my best not to scare him with my over the top excitement

'okay I see, and are there a lot of people?' he asked

'well it really depends on the day…naturally there aren't a lot of people during the weekdays, the weekends is when it's fully packed'

'let me get back to you on that okay?.. am not really sure I want people looking and talking about me then pretending they were not' he said shortly

'ooh come on will! am sure no one will even notice'

The sound that come out of him next was so undignified I would never have believed it was him if I was not there myself

'clark' he said rolling his eyes which was completely unlike him 'of course they'll notice…they all know about the traynors and their paralysed son by now, am sure they all want a glance at me'

'that's not true' I said even though I had some wild suspicion it was

Just the other day at the market I heard some women talking about the traynors I didn't hear then mention will but I had a feeling that if I stuck around long enough they would

But I would never tell will

'okay then just promise me you will at least think it over okay?'

'okay' he said

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will was spread out on the grass while Nathan was performing some lifting exercises with his right leg and Louisa was sitting nearby, her nose in a book as she often was nowadays

Nathan who was will's physical therapist came in three times a week to check and do some exercise with will, and take him to the hospital twice a month….

'lou what are your plans for this weekend?'nathan asked looking up

'well am going out with my boyfriend' she said still looking at her book

She hadn't looked up from her book since they left the house and will was beginning to wonder if she even noticed they were outside

'why' she said eyeing him and looking up for the first time 'got something more interesting for us?'

'No just asking …what about you will?' he said putting will's leg down and sitting on the grass to look at him

'well you know…sleeping, eating then sleeping again just the usual' he said grinning

'that's the spirit mate' Nathan laughed

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Louisa kept to her book the rest of the afternoon only stopping to look up when her name was mentioned or called…they opted to have lunch from the main house and not something dreadful that Louisa cooked up; at least that's what will whispered to Nathan when she went to get the food …

After lunch the boys talked for a bit then Nathan had to go back to the hospital to attend to some other patience…after escorting him to the door will returned to the dining table with his laptop

It was sort of a ritual now for the two; they would sit in mutual silence each undertaking in different things…

'already done with the book?' will asked Louisa as she put down the book

'no, not yet. But am almost there just a few more hours' she said giving him one of her dashing big smiles 'maybe this weekend'

'the weekend? Jesus clark how slow do you read?' he teased

'well of course I read slowly, I like to relish every single word'

'did you find the word *relish* in the book?' he asked laughing

'yes I did and I know I used it correctly' she said proudly

'okay then I want you to give me a call as soon as you are done with the book, I want to know what you think of it right away' he said

'stop it will…you are making me feel as if am in school again, drafting up reports for every book read'

'what? Your teacher not teach you how to write?' he teased

she gave him a small smirk which she never did but oddly enough suited her will thought…

I am smiling more she is smirking now, we are spending too much time together and morphing into each other will thought

'okay then will do….have a good weekend will' she said earnestly


	10. Chapter 10

Saturday morning was pretty uneventful; I woke up around 9am, took a quick shower then went downstairs for breakfast. after that I went back to my tiny room and continued reading the book will gave me.

The book was very interesting I was almost done and I couldn't wait to call will and talk to him about it

Mom came upstairs at around 12pm to force me downstairs for some lunch and to talk about my 'new' job.

'come on lou, I hardly ever see you except for breakfast and dinner, you spend the whole day at work and when you are home you stay in your room all day, come downstairs and let's talk over some tea' she said pulling me from the bed, the room was already small with me in it, with her in it, it seemed as if we we would suffocate so I agreed to join her.

We had lunch at the kitchen counter just the two of us and afterwards mom placed two cups of at the kitchen counter

'tell me now' she said sitting down 'how big is their garden'

'mom….' I groaned 'we have been through this, I told you last week that the one Mrs traynor spends most of her time on is not very big but I suspect she has another one somewhere around or within the mansion…she might have a greenhouse for all we know or an indoor garden you never know with rich people'

'how do you not know lou, Do you not work there?' she said amused

'of course I work there mom but my job is to assist will not to go exploring the mansion, I come and go through the annex, in fact the only time I go into the main house is to get food in the kitchen and that's it honestly mom'

'okay then how is their kitchen?' she asked

I groaned loudly making sure she knew how annoying it is having to recount every detail of the mansion to her every time I came home

'it's beautiful mom, exquisite…the type of kitchen you never want to leave, there are about 3 cooks who come in daily to prepare dishes for the family and it's spotless not a speck of dirt within eye range'

'but is not 3 cooks a lot for such few people, excluding you and will of course because I remember you said the two of you eat at the annex' she asked surprised

'yeah we do but lately we have been eating the mansion food more, I suppose 3 cooks is a lot for only 2 people…

'oh I guess maybe the other people who work in the house eat there too maybe and I heard will say sometimes they have guests, maybe that's why and anyway that is not of my business mom and I don't intend to make it' I said simply

'oh fine then, let me tell you about the neighbours then if you don't want to talk about the traynors' she started

We spent the rest of the afternoon talking, mom filled me in on all the neighbourhood gossip which I didn't think would go on till late afternoon but I let her go on because it had been a while since we sat down just us two

At around 6 pm I excused myself and went to my room to get dressed, me and Patrick were finally going to see each other after nearly 3 weeks apart

I put on my beautiful bright yellow with blue polka dots dress which I paired with my black stockings and red flats, I left the house shortly after 7pm for Patrick's house.

Patrick was outside by the time I got there, he was standing with another woman who I recognised immediately…she was one of his gym mates; he had introduced me to her at a pub a few months back

She was tall and pretty with a much toned body that honestly made me feel a bit insecure, she was wearing leggings and a crop top and it seemed like she had just come from the gym and so did Patrick, as I got nearer to his front gate it seemed as if they were having an in-depth conversation; Patrick had narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips the way he did whenever we were discussing something serious or when he was trying to concentrate.

Patrick seemed a bit surprised when he saw me but he quickly recovered and moved forward to greet me.

'lou! So nice to see you'! he said loudly clearly over compensating for something 'I would hug you but am afraid I have just come from the gym' he said

'you remember Sylvia don't you?' he asked as she stretched out her hand to greet me

'yes…I do' I said shaking her hand

There was a few seconds of awkward silence before Sylvia announced that she had to go back home and do something that I wasn't interested enough to listen to'

My eyes were fixed on Patrick, I was a bit disappointed that he seemed to have forgotten we were going out…or maybe he was just running late I told myself, clearly I was the one who was early I will wait till he is dressed then we can go and have our night of fun I thought

As soon as she was out of earshot I turned to Patrick and before he could say anything…

'well hurry up then, we don't want to waste any more time here' I said faking a smile

'lou' he began but even before he could finish I knew what was coming; he had forgotten and made other arrangements that he didn't want to forsake for me

'lou I am so sorry, I forgot I am truly sorry…I promised mike and the boys I would join them for drinks and I can't cancel…I would ask you to come with me only I know how restless you get are around the boys and I don't want to stress you out' he said

'so am just supposed to go home' I said trying hard not to get angry

'no, I mean you can stay at my place if you want'

'patrick do you realise this is the first time we have seen each other in 3 weeks? And it's not like we live in different cities and now you are telling me you cannot cancel some drinks with you friends to spend some time with me?!' I shouted at him

'louisa stop shouting the neighbours are going to hear you and you know how they like to gossip' he said

'I don't care about the neighbours' I said seething as all the doubts I had been having came back in one swift motion

'look lou I think I need to be honest with you, there is something I have been wanting to tell you for a while now and I think the time has come' Patrick said, breathing in as if mastering up enough courage

'go on then'

'lou…I don…I think…lou I have been seeing someone else' he blurted out

'it started a few months back…we were just friends then I think we both started to like each other a bit more...but we haven't done anything I swear, not even kiss I swear….and this few weeks we have been away from each other has had me thinking that maybe we should see other people' patrick finished

Of all the things to feel on that night I certainly didn't expect to feel relief. It was more like a mixture of relief, disbelief and sadness. I

I took a step back and looked him, he seemed to deliberately avoiding my gaze

'okay' I simply said

Now it was his turn to be in disbelief and relief

'what? i…i..i mean are you serious?' he asked

'yes I will see you around patrick' I turned and left the premises

I heard him call me a few times but I did not dare look back.

I didn't want to go home so I decided to walk around for a bit to clear my head, but after walking for 3 hours it had done nothing for me…all I kept thinking was 7 years down the drain, don't get me wrong I never intended to marry Patrick, we actually never spoke about marriage and he always tried to get me to move in with him but I always came up with some excuse

even though some part of me knew this was bound to happen it still did nothing to cushion the blow, it still felt like I wasted 7 years of my life…I wanted to find out why I was sad and not devastated, 7 years seemed devastation worthy.

After a taking another round I decided maybe some sleep would make me feel better but I still wasn't ready to go home. Home was where my mother and sister would instantly know that something was wrong and would get It out of me and I was not ready to talk to them

So I took out my phone and dialled the one person who I knew would not ask anything of me tonight hoping he would pick up

'will?' I asked trying to steady my voice

'clark so you finished the book I suppose?' he chuckled

'no..not really…'

There was silence

'can I come to the house for a bit?' I asked very sure my voice was betraying me

'yeah of course' he said almost immediately, he has sensed something was amiss…God dammit I didn't want to worry him

'louisa? Are you okay' he asked

'yeah..of course' my voice broke

'okay, see you in a bit' I said hanging up


	11. Chapter 11

To say that I was concerned would be an understatement. I had been waiting for Louisa to call about the book, so I really didn't read into the 11pm call until I heard her voice...it sounded urgent and very unlike her. Had something happened? Did she need help? Was she in trouble? As far as I knew she was supposed to be out with her boyfriend, had he done something to her? I found myself suddenly displeased at the thought of that so I tried to focus on the matter at hand, lousa.

I called john the security guard and told him Louisa would be arriving any moment and to let her in, my parents were away in London for a week so there was no one else I needed to inform, all that was left was to wait for her

She finally came after about 20minutes.

Looking at her as I opened the door confirmed my fears, something was wrong….she smiled weakly at me and thanked me for letting her come. She settled on at the table, I wheeled myself to the fridge and handed her a bottle of water.

She took a few sips then placed it on the table and looked straight ahead….she sat like this for a while and I thought it better not to disturb her she didn't seem to be in the talking mood

'I loved him you know' she said suddenly not turning to look at me

'who?' I asked

'patrick' she barely whispered

She said nothing else after this we just sat there not talking while she stared straight ahead and I stared at her

It was getting late and seeing as she was in no condition to go home I decided it was better if she stayed but knowing Louisa I knew she would put up a fight, so I braced myself…..

'I don't think you should go home, there is a guest bedroom first door to the left just down the hallway, it's always ready for guests so everything you need will be in there'

'okay' she said standing up and leaving the room

Again, to say that I was shocked would be an understatement

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Louisa lay in bed even though she knew it was well past 8am, she was not depressed but the simple task of getting up seemed much too big for her, so she lay there on the bed for another hour or so going through the events of the previous day, she wasn't sad anymore if anything she was relieved still there was something else she felt that she could not quite place her finger on and that was what was causing the sudden slow pace movement she was having

Her mind was not used to unknown feelings…if she felt love, she would know and act on it…if she felt hate, she would know and act on it…but now she didn't know what she felt so her mind was working overtime.

At 9.30 she dragged herself from the bed noticing for the first time that she was in the most luxurious room she had ever set foot in; the room was like a perfect magazine cover. At the far end of the room was a coffee-coloured couch that looked so inviting and comfortable, instinctively she wondered how much it cost but pushed the thought away, there were a series of exquisite painting lined on the frosted-painted wall on one side, while the other held a book case with the most handsome books Louisa had ever seen; the curtains where white linen, the kind of white that is untouched by hands and devoid of dust, there was no television she noted, but the room seemed to radiate a certain kind of glow that a television would seem out of place. This was what paradise looked like she thought vaguely.

After a quick shower she opened a door at the end of the room to reveal a smaller room stacked with a variety of clothes from all sizes, with the most delicate embroidery she had ever seen. she pulled out a pink sweat shirt and pants, then put on some flip flops and made her way to the annex…she heard some noise coming from the kitchen; the cooks had arrived

Will assumed louisa would be up before 8am, so he made a big fuss of calling the cooks early on a Sunday to prepare them breakfast, he was hoping that maybe a big breakfast comprised of almost everything would cheer her up. when she was late he was worried that she might have sneaked out during the night or he might have to go over to the guest room to rouse her up, he was so relieved to see her appear in the annex

Will was overcompensating and he knew it, he was uncharacteristically cheerily and talkative all through breakfast but who could blame him after the night they both had? louisa of course was nodding absentmindedly to everything and had not uttered a single word since she came in, even the 'good morning' will offered was meet by an absentminded nod; so this is how it felt like to be ignored will thought. He didn't like it

Louisa's silence was making him uncomfortable in every way imaginable, he wasn't used to seeing her like this; halfway through breakfast he stopped accepting that she wasn't listening. she had hardly touched her breakfast too.

Whoever or whatever had made her like this made will very angry and he clenched his fist at the thought of this…he would have given anything to get louisa back…the cheerily, kind, smart girl whose smile was warm enough to warm any cold heart including his…will would never admit it to her, but he had grown rather fond of her during those past weeks

After breakfast louisa went outside, leaving will by himself in the annex thinking of ways he could try and talk her out of the slump she was in…after about an hour or so, he decided that enough was enough and that the only way he could handle it was by being himself

He wheeled himself next to her on the grass, for a moment it seemed like she didn't even notice he was there; he looked at her and noticed maybe for the first time how beautiful her hair was draped down on her shoulders and how it seemed to compliment her face…looking at her sited there was like discovering a hidden treasure right under his nose; the clothes made her look too small in an adorable kind of way, her face free of makeup was slightly pale than usual but somehow made her more endearing, had her eyes always been this big and beautiful? He thought…they seemed too shrink whenever she smiled or laughed and mind you she was always smiling or laughing, he couldn't explain it but he somehow knew, he could never unsee her again

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'you can trust me you know' will said to me after a while

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will seemed to have somehow teleported next to me either that or I didn't see him coming….i must have not been paying attention when he wheeled himself next to me

I knew I could trust will, it was why I came to him in the first place and it seemed only fair that he know what happened, so I gathered all my strength and told him exactly what had happened from the moment I left the house the previous day…like the good listener that he was, he sat there and listened without interrupting

I told him about Patrick and the girl…I told him about the doubts I had been having and how they came rushing back when I saw Patrick again…I told him how I was relieved this morning but still sad, but not sad enough to not be happy and 'how could those two emotions co-exist?' I demanded of him…..how I had probably wasted 7 years of my life…finally, I told him that the frustrations of not knowing what I felt for sure was what was killing me.

It seemed like I had spoken for a lifetime, when I finished and maybe for the first time since I arrived at the mansion I looked into will's eyes and he looked into mine, and there wasn't a trace of judgement or condescendence; but there was understanding...he had understood me and that made my eyes fill with tears and suddenly all I wanted to do was cry; I had knocked on his door with nothing more than a secret plea for him to understand me and he had done just that

I tried to speak but I couldn't without falling apart

'you didn't waste your time first and foremost…If anything it just goes to show how patient you are, 7 years is no joke clark I've barely gone 9 months with one girlfriend… I want to be like you when I grow up clark' he joked

This made me smile for the first time that day

'there isn't much I can say to make you feel better unfortunately, but I can tell you this; if you think even for a split second that this is your fault then you must be crazy, because even though I have known you for a month and a few weeks now, I can tell you are not the person to give up on things that easily, but Louisa you are too good for your own good; you knew something was up why didn't you say anything?' he asked me

'because-because I thought I was imaging it' I said tears rolling down my face

'no you didn't' he said more seriously 'why didn't you say something louisa?' he repeated

'I felt guilty okay!' I said a bit harshly than I intended 'I felt bad about being with him for 7 years then just waking up one day and being like 'I don't love you anymore', I was ashamed for falling out of love with him….so-so I let him do it for me, I let him break it off just so I wouldn't have to do it and I knew he didn't love anymore as well, so I drove him into the hands of that woman he was seeing, It was me that was always busy, me that never wanted to go out, I thought if I stay away long enough he would finally leave and he did and I feel guilty for it!' now the sobbing was beyond uncontrollable, there were furious sobs as well…I was angry with myself, how could I have been so cruel and selfish

And just like that I had found what was wrong….it was guilt…what I was feeling was guilt.

The sobs wouldn't stop, tears just came flooding in and I couldn't see anything, at some point will put a hand on my shoulder and i found my head leaning on his shoulder when I finally stopped sobbing

We didn't say anything else.

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as they sat at the table eating lunch, will noticed Louisa was eating much better than breakfast and he felt a great sense of pride, he had at least managed to get her to eat, but she still wasn't fully back to her usual self but he was willing to wait, to give her time to recover

he didn't know why Louisa felt guilty…he thought that it was very noble of her, to allow Patrick to end it because she simply couldn't bear the thought of breaking his heart…he would never imagine himself doing such a thing...needless to say he was usually the heart breaker. he admired her very much and the fact that she felt guilty for it was just the icing on the cake….

He didn't want her to leave just yet, so he managed to convince her to stay another night...she didn't need a lot of convincing since she was still not ready to see her parents and break the news to them. She knew they would be disappointed they had grown rather fond of Patrick

The only problem was will's parents

'I would love to will, but what about your parents?'

'what about my parents?' he asked

'well wouldn't your mother be a bit alarmed if she found out I was staying here, two nights in a row?'

'first of all clark, you are my guest you stay up to a whole year if you wish….besides I told you my parents are in london for a week, they won't be back till Saturday and It doesn't matter whether they came back or not, I like having you here beats being alone and were you not supposed to be my friend? Were you not hired to be my assistant and friend?' he asked eyeing her suspiciously

Louisa placed her hand over her mouth 'how did you know that?' she said stunned

'come on clark, you aren't very discreet you know…you keep trying to talk to me...all the freaking time even when am trying to shake you off…I can take a hint. Thank you very much' he said

And with that both of then burst out into laughter


	12. Chapter 12

at 7pm, the mansion was completely empty except for will and Louisa…it had never occurred to Louisa, that will had to be alone whenever his parents travelled.

the house seemed so deserted and lonely with only them in it, she tried not to imagine how it seemed when will was all alone.

'you mean to tell me, the house is completely empty!…is it not lonely here by yourself?' Louisa asked, trying not to sound too surprised

'no…not really, I was the one who wanted to stay alone…my parents, wanted to hire someone to come over during the days they were away, but I thought it was completely unnecessary, I somehow managed to convince them otherwise, I still cannot believe they agreed. so on the days they are away, I get this place all to myself' he smiled at her

'still…this is too big of a house to be alone in' she said, not buying that he okay staying alone

'well…I really don't think am alone, knowing my parents they probably have someone watching me or something'

'well come on then' he beckoned Louisa to follow him into the main house 'I want us to use the screening room instead it's much comfortable, good thing it's not upstairs or else you'd have to carry me up the stairs' he joked

'well, it is my job' Louisa said matter of factly

'is it?' will asked surprised

'well, I am your assistant…I presume that I am to assist you whenever you need assistance and if that includes going up the stairs, then your wish is my command'

He grinned at her

'you never cease to amaze me Louisa clark'

Will led the way to the screening room, on the other side of that mansion louisa had never been to….they used the hallway which also extended all the way …will only needed help with the pieces of furniture on the way, before she knew it, they were in a big theatre like room with not more than 20 slightly bent sofas each designed for one person and at the very front, a digital projector, just like the theatres in town….there was already popcorn and some other snacks on a table next to the door…

'I hope you don't mind, I asked peter (one of the kitchen helps) to bring some snacks before he left'

Louisa helped will onto one of the sofas, then propped herself next to him and they started watching a French movie with subtitles.

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'will?'

'louisa?'

'can I ask you something?' she asked timidly

'go on then'

'what-what happened…that made you temporarily paralysed? She asked, not meeting his eyes

A troubled look overcame will's features, he seemed to have aged 10 years, but it was gone just as fast as it came

'motorbike accident….i got hit'

'am sorry' said Louisa awkwardly, not knowing what else to say and regretting asking the question in the first place

'not as sorry as I was when I woke up a week later in a hospital bed, not able to move at all, covered in bandages and hooked to machines' he said sadly 'what nightmares are made of….

'the doctors said it was a miracle that i was only temporary paralysed. if any more damage were inflicted on my back bone, I would have been quadriplegic or dead…..

'they couldn't give me the exact time it would take to walk again…then I finally found out it could take as little as 2 months, or up to 5 or 10years and this just broke me, I stopped trying to get better…I started eating less and less…I refused visits from my parents and girlfriend at the time, Alicia….she wanted to be there for me but I wouldn't let her…I pushed her away, she started visiting less and less until she didn't anymore…found out she had gotten 'too friendly' with my best pal Rupert behind my back, was a bit of a shocker really. I don't blame her though, for leaving, nobody wants to spend their time with a grumpy loathful man…

some part of me at that time didn't want her to go, if she could have just stuck around just for a while….i tried to contact her, she was nice enough to come all the way from London just to blurt out she was getting married to Rupert, as soon as I opened the door' will chuckled remembering the encounter …

'she was never good at keeping secrets from me, and if she managed to, she would end up blurting them out at inappropriate times…but we made our peace…then they both visited a few months before you started working here. they seemed happy, though I dare say I don't look forward to their company ever again'

'but the worst one yet was my job…I had never put so much effort and hard work into something ever in my life, then to have in disappear in front of my very eyes….' he trailed off

'I'd thought I could beat this and be at work in a matter of months, but here I am, one and half years later still stuck in this chair' he said scornfully

'I keep in touch with the office back in London…they have me on as their advisor now, since I was the best in the field before I left and they didn't want to let me go…that's what I do on my laptop all day, guess it's better than doing nothing' he shrugged with a hint of sadness in his eyes

Louisa stared at will, tears stinging in her eyes, taken by the sudden flow of information on a part of will's life she never thought he would ever tell her….he had just poured out his heart out to her, and she didn't have a clue what to say to him

'a bit too much I suppose, for anyone…sorry for dumping all that on you. You just wanted to know how I got hurt and here I am narrating my entire life story' he smiled at her, sensing her dilemma

'will…' she began but didn't know how to put it into words

'bet this alicia girl is a blond with long legs' she suddenly said smiling at will

Will broke out in laughter having not expected her to say that…then suddenly they both couldn't stop laughing, each clinging to their stomachs as they laughed in the empty screening room

He knew he had made the right decision confiding in Louisa


	13. Chapter 13

The night was pure bliss…louisa and will had talked the whole night and only retired to their rooms very early the next morning, each yawning with exhaustion but sad at the prospect of not being able to continue talking…

When louisa finally woke from her four hour sleep, at half past eight she felt exhausted but still energized from the night before….she noticed her mother had called several times.…had she run into Patrick?...did she know?

She knew her family would be supportive about everything and would try their best to conceal their disappointments, she wasn't ready to reveal what had happened, their pity-stricken faces and hidden disappointments, were enough for her to return to the state she was in when she first arrived at the mansion…will…oh what would she have done without him, he had managed to cheer her up and help her understand what she was feeling and earlier that morning he had unraveled his previous life to her…she felt honored that he trusted her that much, also happy to be see into the side of will that was often hidden to the world

Will wasn't grumpy or loathful or as rude as he had appeared at first to louisa and everyone who had crossed paths with him after the accident…he was a man frustrated with his condition and self-loathing, that he had pushed everyone away not because he didn't care for them, but because he didn't want to burden them and this saddened her so much even though she didn't dare tell will…how could he think that he was burdening anyone when all they wanted was to be there for him, she especially felt sorry for Mrs traynor, because even though she never showed affection that much, you could simply see how much she loved her son just by how she looked at him

Even though they didn't know this yet, louisa and will's friendship had been sealed forever that previous night, never had the both of then been so open and truthful in their lives not even to their best friends or family.

She now felt a new appreciation for him and vice versa.

As louisa sat up on the bed and dialed her mother's cell, will was on the other side of the house going through some work stuff on his laptop. he woken up a bit earlier, to find several emails sent to him by his colleagues at his previous job…each inquiring about something different, he had got down to business right away….

He finishing he found himself wondering whether louisa had woken up, or if he should call her and wake her up for breakfast….but he dismissed the thought quickly taken aback at what had overcome him for those few seconds, louisa was perfectly capable of waking herself up and coming to breakfast when she wanted, besides they had talked into the early morning and she would be very exhausted she deserved to sleep in, he told himself

But as he tried to keep himself occupied he found that he was constantly thinking up things to say to louisa.

Louisa quickly put down her cell phone glad that the conversation with her mother was over and she didn't seem suspicious of anything….she told herself she would break the news to her family as soon as she got home…'God! You'd think I was announcing someone died...although I wouldn't be surprised if they reacted that way' she though, giving a chuckle. louisa was far from joking, that was how much her family was fond of Patrick

She got up, spread the bed, took a quick shower then put on pink baggy pants with a black t shirt that were in the drawers…she passed the kitchen on the way to the annex to take the breakfast b

`she stepped into the annex to find will scrolling through his phone, he looked up and smiled back at her 'good morning' louisa said happily

'good morning' will answered…

'glad to see you are back to you cheerily self' he continued 'thank God…I was getting tired of being the delightful one'

'oh! So that was you being cheerily? You need to work on that' she teased

'thank you' she said more seriously, looking him 'for everything'

'you don't need to ever thank me clark….it's what friends do' he said trying to throw in the word friends casually, which made louisa want to laugh but she didn't, it was a serious moment and she was determined to stay serious

After breakfast they both decided to go outside for a while before it was time for Louisa to head home… 'you don't have to leave you know' will said after a while

'I know but my mom will go ballistic if I don't show up today, talking about how I have abandoned them not even a phone call or text' Louisa smiled remembering the phone call she had with her mother earlier….louisa had been keen to not mention she was with will, and she wasn't so sure she would tell her about will, not that there was anything to tell, she simply knew how her family was quick to jump to conclusion and was not anticipating it

'and besides I've already been here two nights in a row…and it's Monday am supposed to be working' she said

'clark, I already told nobody cares if you decide to live here…and you are 'at work' in case you have not noticed'

'you know what I mean will' Louisa said giving him a defeated look, she knew she didn't have a solid argument for this and wasn't going to try coming up with one

As much as she had enjoyed her time with will, she really had to go home even if she didn't want to…

When Louisa was finally ready to leave, will seemed a bit quiet than usual…she suspected her departure had caused the sudden stillness in him but nonetheless she had to go and besides, she would be at the mansion the next morning as early as usual, so what was he all grumpy about? Louisa thought

After a quick farewell Louisa departed

Home was just as she had expected…her mother, her sister treena and her grandfather were all in the house when she arrived with the exception of her father who was at work and Thomas who was at school… 'where you at Patrick's?' treena asked as soon as she sat down on the sofa

'well, it's nice to see you too little sister, how is London?' she said sarcastically

'come off it, We talk on the phone almost every week…you know how London is'

Louisa looked at her sister, feeling as she always did around her. Defeated.

'no…I wasn't…well I was with him on Saturday then I didn't see him again….' She trailed of wondering whether to break the news right then or wait till asked, then she quickly decided it was no use waiting…

'we broke up' she would not have believed those words if they hadn't come out of her won mouth, it was the first time she had said those three words out loud

Treena looked taken aback by the revelation, while her mother looked sympathetically at her, it was just as she had feared

'am okay, really mom….it was for the best, we both had to move on' she said trying to reassure her

It was a very peculiar scenario, who would have thought she would be the one reassuring her family and not vice versa

'are you mad!' treena finally found her voice 'he is the best thing to happen to you' she said harshly, practically hissing the words at her.

Louisa having expected this decided she was not going to deal with any of it, she excused herself and headed for her room but not before throwing a nasty glare at treena

In the living room, her mother glared at treena too, mortified by her words, faced redden with anger

'how dare you say that to her?' she said in a muffled voice 'have you no sympathy!. She is your sister for crying out loud…how do you suppose she feels?'

'well, it is true' treena mumbled defiantly

'look at you!…don't be pretentious, was it not you awhile back who was pregnant with Thomas?….did Louisa so much as make a comment about anything? No….she supported you and here you are insulting your sister, you should be ashamed of yourself' Mrs traynor said not trying to lower her voice anymore

Treena had lowered her eyes in shame, she apologized to her mother and headed upstairs to apologize to lou

She knocked twice on the door but as she twisted the nob to open the room, treena found it was locked; Louisa hardly ever locked her room except when she didn't want to be disturbed by anyone. It was not a good sign.

'lou it's me, can you let me in?' treena said on the other side of the door, but as she waited for it to open, it became clear that Louisa wasn't going to do that and she instantly felt guilty for making her sister that mad 'I just wanted to say sorry lou' she said finally

She left for her own room after a while

Louisa who was seething mad in her room had wanted to open the door only to shut it again in treena's face…how could she even say that? after all she had done for her, had she not always been nice to her and Thomas, she looked after him whenever treena was busy and not to mention she was practically raising him will treena was in school in London…the audacity, she thought

She was determined to stay mad at her for as long as it took, she had expected treena to say something like that, what she hadn't anticipated was her own reaction, she didn't know it would affect her that much after all she was used to such remarks from treena…but why was she suddenly so mad about it now? She wondered


	14. Chapter 14

Louisa was up the following day before anybody else, determined to leave the house as quickly as possible, she dressed hurriedly and decided she would have breakfast at the mansion

She arrived just as will was wheeling himself to the kitchen to get a glass of water .… 'clark, you're early!' he said stunned as she walked into the annex

'forgive me, but I couldn't stay a moment longer at home' she said sitting down at the table

'what happened?' will asked, joining her at the table with his glass of water

she told him everything that had happened and how she wasn't too keen to talk to her sister any time soon…

'I wish you heard her, the tone she used' Louisa said with an unmistakable sadness in her voice 'h-how could she say that?'

Will looked at Louisa for a while…'maybe she didn't mean it'

'maybe she did…' said Louisa standing up suddenly 'shall I make us both breakfast?'

Will sensed she didn't want to talk about it anymore and complied

'uh….okay I'll go get dressed…just try and make it edible' will teased

'ha ha very funny'

After breakfast they decided to go for a walk around the grounds as was their tradition now

'you know, I've been here for two months now and whenever we go outside, I always feel like am doing it for the first time….it's so beautiful.

'well, you'll get used to it after a while, this is just the area near the annex, you still haven't been to the other side of the house and castle…'

they stopped under a tree with big branches, louisa sat down beside will's chair

'nathan called while you were getting dressed, he said he would be coming to pick you up tomorrow for the hospital appointment?' Louisa said

'oh…he mentioned something like that the last time he was here, I guess he wanted to make sure I had not forgotten'

'I am to accompany you?' she asked

'yeah, I think so' he continued 'the hospital I attend Is approximately 3 hours from here, they usually end up conducting a number of tests and exercises which take at least two days…so we usually stay at a hotel near the hospital…but don't worry about the hotel arrangements' said will, noticing Louisa was about to inquire about that 'my parents should already have made arrangements for the us.'

'oh,' Louisa said just realising that she had not made any preparations for the trip. Well, at least she would be away from home for a while, she thought

'it's pretty uneventful actually, we leave early and spend the whole two days in the hospital…you'll be very bored I dare say' will continued

'I don't mind actually, I just wish I knew sooner, I haven't prepared a thing'

'don't you have a timetable of my appointments…did my mother not give you one?, how peculiar, she always makes a fuss of giving it to everyone around me' he said rolling his eyes

'I don't think she gave one to me'

'don't worry you can have mine, it's not like I need it, I am never busy and nathan always calls so I don't forget…

'and don't worry about packing, you just need to bring clothes for the day after tomorrow only, since I suspect we will leave that day. But you can bring another pair just in case, you never know with these things; we might even go for a week'

just then louisa's phone rang as if on cue, it was Mrs traynor 'it's you mother' Louisa whispered to will before answering the call

'good morning louisa' Mrs traynor said on the other side

'good morning Mrs traynor'

'I assume Nathan called you this morning to inform you on will's appointment?'

'yes…yes he did'

'and I also assume you have packed will's belongings for the trip'

'oh…uh… I was just on my way to do that' she said feeling stupid for not having thought of that…of course it's my job to that she scolded herself

'you will need to leave the house at exactly 5 am, will's appointment is exactly at 8 am it will take you 3 hours to get there…Nathan will stay at the mansion tonight so as to not be late. You will be dropped at the hospital immediately after arrival. Unfortunately me and my husband will not be able to join you. That's all thank you' and with that she hung up

'what she say?' will asked

'just about tomorrow and packing your bags' she stood up

'where are going?' he asked

'to pack your belonging, of course'

'i can pack my belongings very well thank you'

'I know you can, but seeing as it is my job to do so….'

'can't it wait, I want to stay outside for a little while longer'

'No, it cannot… I have to pack your things then go home and pack mine,' she hesitated for a moment 'then I think am also going to spend the night here, I don't trust myself to not be late' she said casting a quick eye at will for approval

'full house today…' will said with a smile

The news of Louisa and Nathan spending the night at the mansion seemed to have elated will, he was in a good mood all through packing, he even let Louisa pack two times the number of clothes he would have brought with him

'what time will Nathan be arriving?' Louisa asked as she zipped down the bag

'later in the evening, at around 5'

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

'I will be back on Thursday mom, don't worry' lou said to her mother while carefully folding her clothes into her travel bag….she had decided it to carry more clothes just to be on the safe side, in case they were needed to stay longer.

Her mother had ambushed her with questions from the moment she walked into the house, wanting to know why she was home so early…if anything had gone wrong, after she found out about louisa's short trip she wanted to know all the details, but Louisa was quick to explain that it wasn't as glamorous as she thought and they would simply be spending all their time in the hospital

After she had finished packing and was ready to leave her mother coaxed her into joining her family for dinner, something she wasn't keen in doing since her argument with treena the previous day.

She was thoroughly silent all through dinner only speaking when spoken to. she had no intention of giving any sign that she wasn't still angered with treena's outburst, even with the excitement of the journey ahead she was very much angry at her sister

After dinner she let her mother fuss over her a little bit longer then bid farewell to her family…..then set of for the mansion

They didn't stay up for long, Nathan had insisted that it was important for all of them to get to bed early so as to wake up early and none had bothered to argue with him since they were all pretty tired. Louisa retired to the guest room she had slept in not too long ago while Nathan took the other room just across hers.


	15. Chapter 15

We arrived at the hospital 10 minutes early.

will insisted I go to the hotel and wait for them there, he assured me they would be at the hotel in time for diner.

The driver dropped me off at hotel, I went straight to the reception, got the key to my room and went straight to it.

I didn't realise how tired I was until I closed the door to my room. Even though I had managed to sleep early to compensate for the early morning, it was clear that my body was not used to being roused so early in the morning.

It was half past two when I woke up.

After exploring the room, I decided it was no use going back to the hospital since will and Nathan would probably be winding up or already on their way to the hotel

instead i read the book I had borrowed from will shelf just before we left

After what must have been hours I heard a soft knock on my door. Nathan was standing on the other side smiling back at me

'hope we didn't keep you waiting for long' he said as I let him in

'oh it's okay, I have been entertaining myself' I held up the book I was reading

'but where is will? Wasn't he with you'

'oh I hope it's okay with you, but will went straight to his room. We had a late lunch at the hospital, when he arrived he insisted on going straight to bed. I really couldn't argue with him, he did have a bit of a rough day. Very tired. He sends his apologies.' Nathan said

'nice room you've got here' he said 'am sharing one with will and I didn't want to disturb him…I hope you don't mind?' he said looking uneasy

'of course not…please sit down' I gestured to the bed

'I was actually hungry, thinking about going for some food' I said 'haven't eaten anything since yesterday

'go where? Why don't you order room service? I could eat too'

After ordering room service Nathan and I sat on part of the soft white carpet that wasn't occupied by the bed and took some pillows from the bed for more comfort

'how has it been since you started working at the mansion?' nathan asked

'uh…3 months,'

'not so long then' he said more to himself than me

'does it get difficult?' I asked without thinking

'well, not really. the trynors are really nice…you just have to know how to navigate through them sort of like; they don't hear or see you kind of thing. But with you of course, it's different because with will you are not just hired to be his assistant but also his friend?' he looked at me for assurance, I nodded to confirm

'which is kind of a funny situation if you ask me' he laughed 'but I must say Louisa clark, I am really impressed by you. I think will has really come to regard you as a friend, which is unheard of. All the other ones who've worked with him, have all been fired by him shortly after Mrs T hired them, it's something of an achievement really, for you to still be here'

I really had not been aware of this. Of course I knew that there had been others before me, but I simply didn't know will was the one who fired. I just thought they quit or something

'I think now more than ever you have to be his friend'

'why?'

He sat up as if resolving his mind to telling me something

'okay, we come to this place every month. With the exception of last month. Do you know why?' he answered before I could open my mouth 'will is required for some regular testing and in this tests, a lot of his muscles are used especially his legs. See, the point of this is to see whether his muscles are strong enough to put weight on, so he can start his walking therapy; you don't want someone to go ahead while their bones and muscles are still healing that could be dangerous.

During this tests every muscle is used; there is lifting movement that is conducted by several doctors for more than 9 hours, some x-rays. so you can imagine how tired he is whenever he gets back from them. That's why I can never stop him when he decided to sleep as early as 6pm, I know how exhausted he is.

'but the thing is, he was green lit to start his walking therapy, 2 months ago.'

I gasped involuntarily.

'but then why isn't he…' I could barely finish. It seemed so absurd. will disliked his situation so much. I was surprised that he didn't jumped at the opportunity

'nobody knows. Not even his parents. I thought he would be over the moon after the news but I obviously was wrong, he refused to go to the hospital last month and only came this time after his mother begged him to'

It seemed so unreal the things nathan was saying to me. Mrs tryanor begging? I simply couldn't imagine her ever doing anything of the sort

'but-but why' I managed to croak out

There was a knock on the door. Our food was brought and set on the table below the television, once the door was shut I realised I didn't have much of an appetite. the news about will had stunned me to the point of loss of appetite

'I didn't mean to startle you with all this information' he said noticing my predicament

'truth Is, I also don't know why will has had a sudden change in heart' he said picking the food on his plate ; I reckon he is scared of the chance that maybe he won't ever walk again, and now he has deemed it better not to know…I can't say I blame him, anyone in his position would be scared'say ou can start the therapy…doesn't it automatically mean you can walk, you probably just need help?'

'not exactly…it means, your muscles and bones are properly healed, you can attempt the walk therapy sessions if you like, but nothing is set on stone'

'But-but…I don't understand…if you can go for the sessions, doesn't that mean there is no permanent damage to your back bone and that you can walk again?'

'well, yes it does. But lou, it's not that simple. Your backbone might be okay but there was still trauma that was inflicted on it, hence the temporary paralysis. Your body might simply give up on your legs or vice versa. It won't be easy I can guarantee you that. I reckon will already knows this and his keeping away.'

'but..' he said looking at me 'I there is a way you can help'

'h-how' I asked suddenly chocked up…how could I possibly help?

'with will….right now lou, you are the only person close enough to will. Not even his parents are that close to him, he pushes them away. But he hasn't pushed you away and we can use that to our advantage…..

now, am going to be very honest with you. Mrs traynor had asked me to speak with you regarding this topic; she asked if there was any way you could talk to will….

'let's forget the traynors for a bit.' He said noticing the unease on my face.

'Am not asking because Mrs T asked me to…am asking for me, will and i? we met around the time he was being released from the hospital, that was about 1 year ago, he is a good person I can guarantee you that, since the day I met him he only ever wanted to walk, I still think he wants to even now after all this. I will not ask you to persuade him to take the sessions because that is completely up to him and no one else. But I will ask you to please continue being his friend, no matter how unpleasant he gets' nathan chuckled ' I have spoken to him on the phone these past few weeks and I have to say that there has been a considerable amount of change; especially the past few days, that has got nothing to do with his parents or the anybody else other than you…

'whatever it is you are doing to him continue doing it; he seems more relaxed and more himself than he has been in a long time…a very long time….i caught a glimpse of the real will, just before he moved into the annex. After that he just descended into something else and I hadn't seen him until a few weeks ago….he needs a friend lou, not persuasion or begging or anything else I have been instructed to tell you….

'okay?' he said looking at my tear filled eyes that were threatening to release the dams

I don't know if it was what Nathan had said, or the shock of it all, or maybe I wasn't prepared to hear any of it, or the hunger that was just resurfacing, but whatever it was. It made me want to cry so much.

'okay.' I managed to croak out

'as far as I am concerned I have delivered the information Mrs T had asked of me…shall we eat then?' he said, taking the first spoonful since the food was brought up.

'now…this conversation never happened' he said quite serious

'what conversation?'


End file.
